An interview with Chinese wine amateurs

L: Good morning Xiaolu, we are Loire Valley spectators. Welcome to our blog conversation. I’m very glad to see you again.

X: Thank you so much, it’s my pleasure to participate in this interview.

L: The last time you told me that you are very interested in wine from the Loire Valley, at the same time we received lots of demands for many foreign friends about the history of Loire chateaus, the royal family of Loire, and especially the wine of Loire Valley. That’s the reason why we created Loire Valley spectator’s Blog for the wine amateurs like you.

X: That’s great, in China, there are more and more wine amateurs who want to know more about wine besides the Bordeaux wine, I think your Blog is a good way to help us to study wines of Loire Valley. I would really like to thank you for that. 

L: It’s my pleasure. What do you know about the wine of Loire Valley? Have you ever tasted it before?

X: I’ve participated in an exposition of Loire wine in Shanghai in 2011. I’ve tasted a very good white wine, but I can’t remember the grape variety. That’s all I know about the wine of Loire Valley. Can you tell me something Important about the wine regions?

L: Absolutely, in fact the Loire Valley is at the center of France, it is famous for its natural scenes, marvelous châteaux and different kinds of wine. The region is rich in history and culture : Renaissance writer Rabelais was born here; Joan of Arc led French troops to victory in the Hundred Years’ War in the Loire; and it’s known as the Cradle of the French Language. The Loire Valley contains 5 distinct wine regions, from west to east we have : Pays Nantais, Anjou, Saumur, Touraine and Centre-Loire, each with its own grapes varieties, terroirs and micro climates.

X:  That sounds interesting, but I don’t know which region produces which kind of wine, can you explain it to me?

L: It’s difficult to separate the wine by region, because we usually find the same style of wine in different regions. So, in Loire Valley, we separate the different wines by their grape varieties, for example:

Crisp Dry White Varietals: Melon de Bourgogne, Romorantin, Sauvignon Blanc

Rich Aromatic White Varietals: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc

Sweet Varietals: Chenin Blanc

Dry Rosé Varietals: Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Pinot Gris

Off-Dry Rosé Varietals: Cabernet Franc, Grolleau

Fruity Red Varietals: Gamay, Pineau d’Aunis, Pinot Noir

Earthy Red Varietals: Cabernet Franc, Malbec

Sparkling Varietals: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Grolleau

X: Wow, there are so many kinds of wines in Loire Valley, I think I need sometime to remember these.

L: No, you don’t need to remember all of these, it’s better to remember when you taste the wine. Furthermore, we are going to prepare a fantastic tasting of Loire wine for our friends who are interested in Loire wine, I’ll let you know about the date.

X: That sounds great, Thanks a lot.

L: Thank you for attending our blog conversation too.